There are many circumstances in which stacks of papers or other articles are tied into bundles for easy transport and/or storage. The circumstances of particular interest here are one-time uses. In particular, used newspapers are routinely bundled by the newspaper user for collection and recycling. As a result of the societal interest in recycling, in many municipalities bundling of used newspapers for recycling is mandatory.
Heretofore, papers have been tied in bundles using string or cord cut to length and knotted. This is a rather time consuming and inconvenient task, requiring a cutting tool, manipulation of the bundle when wrapping with string, and tying of the knot while trying to keep the string taunt (usually resulting in a less tightly tied bundle than desired). Also, a heavy bundle which is tied with string cannot be comfortably carried by grasping the string. There have been previous attempts at improving this process. One handle/tying aid is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,371,920. However, the use of this additional device does not significantly simplify the chore of the bundling procedure using string.
As alternatives to string, there are various strapping assemblies that have been devised for carrying papers, books, mail, and the like, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,684,163; 3,865,292; and 2,532,306. These designs have been principally intended for reusable applications. For example, the straps of U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,163 are manufactured by a process, and made of a material, which would be too expensive for a single-use device. There are also various strapping or banding machines and tools available, but these are not appropriate for individual low-volume applications because of cost.
One class of existing devise suggested as useful for bundling papers are flexible plastic ties (harnessing devices) which have integral latching features. There are a number of styles of self-locking plastic ties which could be adapted for use for bundling newspapers, although none of these are currently marketed specifically for that purpose. These styles may be categorized into two groups: 1) individually injection molded ties, i.e. harassing devices; 2) ties made from extruded plastic, and modified to incorporate locking features.
The molded ties in the first group typically consist of a long flexible strap with a clasp at one end. A loop around a stack or bunch of articles is formed by threading the strap through the clasp. The flexible strap has a profile which enables it to travel through the head in one direction only. A locking mechanism in the clasp engages the profile to prevent travel in the opposite direction. These ties are easy to thread, adjust, and tighten, and the snap fit of the locking mechanism onto the strap is a strong connection. Examples of these devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,467,427; 3,597,803; 4,183,119; 4,347,648; and 4,788,751.
There are some shortcomings in attempting to use these prior designs of molded ties for bundling newspapers. A strap must be about 106 centimeters (43 inches) long in order to encircle and cinch around a 6 inch high stack of newspapers in the lengthwise direction. A very large, and therefore expensive, mold would be required to make a one-piece tie of this length. Alternatively, long lengths could be produced either by stretching a molded piece, or by joining two shorter pieces. However, these extra operations would increase the cost. These long ties would not be convenient to package, and they would not be easy to handle by the end user. Also, in order to form a secure bundle, two of the ties would need to be used, one widthwise and one lengthwise, around the bundle.
A single strap around used newspaper is not adequate to form a secure bundle. The variation in size of the individual pieces of paper, and the flexibility of the stack, will cause a single strap to move off center when lifted. Some papers may then fall out of the stack. This is also true for stacks of mail. Stacks of stiffer articles, such as phonograph record albums or magazines, require two straps, because their smooth surfaces may cause them to slide to one side. There are currently no one-piece plastic ties with criss-crossed straps available on the market. The problems of molding and handling long lengths of strap delineated above would be even greater for a crossed-pattern piece.
The ties in the second group are straps generally made of flat extruded material, which are cut so as to enable two parts of the tie to be linked together. Examples are given in U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,178; 4,477,950; and 4,183,121. These ties are adjustable, and releasable, but require more manipulation to thread and tighten than those of the first style. The locking connection is accomplished by interlocking of two mating contours which overlap one another.
Although appropriate lengths of extruded-type bundling ties could be easily manufactured, handling by the end user would still be inconvenient. The use of two ties of this style is required in order to make a secure bundle. Another disadvantage of the extruded tie designs is the relative lack of strength of the locking connection, as compared to the molded harnesses of group one above. In order to provide enough strength to support a bundle of newspapers, the strap would need to be relatively wide and thick, requiring substantially more plastic material than most molded ties of comparable strength.
An added difficulty with extruded bundle ties arises from the way they lock on the bundle. In order to form a tight loop with the extruded ties, both ends of the tie must be grasped and pulled tight before the locking mechanism is engaged. The tension must be maintained on the tie by the user until the locking mechanism is engaged. Once the mechanism is engaged, further tightening requires disengagement of the mechanism, and then retightening and reengaging. This differs from the molded ties which, once engaged, can be cinched tightly by pulling on the free end as desired.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,072,986 represents a hybrid of the two styles of ties referred to above. Although injection molded, it utilizes a clasping mechanism with the characteristics of the extruded ties. The device addresses the issue of the long lengths required for wrapping bundles, by incorporating a feature which enables individual ties to be linked together to form longer ties. For tying newspaper-size bundles, the user would be faced with first linking together several of these ties for each of the two loops around the stack. This patent also proposes that two interlocking loops around a bundle could be formed by using one very long tie, rather than a string of ties, and wrapping the bundle in both directions with it. The disclosed method would involve threading the entire length of strap required for the second loop through the hole in the tie, prior to using that length to form the second loop. In addition, manipulation of the stack would be required in the process of making that loop. Further, the "handle" formed by this device indicated would not be comfortable to grasp, due to the projecting knobs which are an inherent feature of the tie.
Another kind of device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,032. This "bundling device" is essentially a mount which holds individual ties in positions perpendicular to one another so as to form a cross. The manufacturer must load this device with ties (alternating one tie in each direction), secure the ends of the gangs of ties, and package the entire assembly. These operations would result in considerable additional cost over that of the ties themselves. Alternatively, if the user is to load the ties into this "bundling device," the ties must be inserted one at a time and the ends of the ties must also be secured or managed, and maintained in the correct sequence. Note that for the manufacturer to provide assembled gangs of ties for insertion by the end user, the same operations by the manufacturer would be required as if providing the loaded "bundling device."
In many bundling applications the normal behavior of people is such that the articles to be bundled will accumulate over time. There are receptacles on the market which provide convenient means of neatly accumulating and stacking papers prior to tying in a bundle. These stacking devices act as an aid in orientating the papers, and in some cases they orientate the tying means in a position favorable for tying.
There are various stacking devices intended specifically for newspapers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,897,724, 4,681,032, 4,395,941, 4,193,340, and 4,167,903 illustrate examples of such devices. These stackers essentially consist of an appropriately sized box, or cradle, for containing a stack of papers, with features which enable the use of tying devices upon the articles while they are inside the stacker. The function of the features is to hold a tie (or string) in a correct position for use and to hold additional ties (or string) for use on successive stacks. However, since the placement of the straps into the appropriate positions in the stacker must be done by the user, the stacker does not effectively improve the convenience of the tying procedure. The stacker is only as good as the tying device for which it is designed, and the shortcomings of the tying devices have been described above.
The stacking device in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,032 requires that the user position and connect an assembly of ties (actually a "bundling device" with ties) in the stacking device. The center connection must be made with some care in order to insure the proper orientation of the ties, and the connections on the four sides must be such as to both hold the ties in position and hold down the ends of the ties which extend well beyond the end of the top of the box.
In the existing stacking devices, the tied bundle must be removed before the next group of papers can be accumulated for stacking. Therefore the existing stackers provide only limited storage.